Process of joining fabric sections



G. E. MOLYNEUX.

PROCESS OF JOINING FABRIC SECTIONS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1917.

Patented July 19, 1921.

GEORGE E. MOLYNE'UX, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERQEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW ER SEY.

PROCESS OF JOINING FABRIC SECTIONS.

resists.

Specification 01'. Letters Patent.

Patented'July 19, rear.

Original application filed March as, 1913, Serial No; 756,317 Divided and this application filed May 18, 1917. SerialNo. 169,422.

T 0 all '10 lzom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. MOLY- NEUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Joining Fabric Sections, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. 7

This invention relates to newandzuseful improvements in. processes of joining fabric sections and more particularly to a: process of forming a covering seam for previously joinededges of fabric sections.

In the work of covering seams it has heretofore been the usual practice, as evidenced, for example, by thepatents to Muther at at, No. 583,415; Berton, No 710,94=2; Perry, No. 776,683, to first close the seam by either a through-and-through or overlook stitch, and then to cover the opened out seam upon a plural needle machine, the gage of which is wide enough to embrace the initially formed seam and cover the raw edge portions of material. When covering light and elastic goods the action of the covering stitch tends to draw or pucker the goods thereby form ing a ridge on the upper side of the goods. To prevent this it has been the usual practice to run the lower. or seam covering thread under very loose tension. The present process has been devised fornse, more particularly,;for seam covering, the object being to provide a process whereby the work may be shread or placed under a lateral strain before the covering stitch is applied, thereby obviating the objectionable ridge on the upper side of the work and causing the finished seam to lie substantially fiat.

' The above and other objects. will in part be obvious and will in part be hereafter more fully disclosed. V

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine which may conveniently be used for carrying the invention into effect. Fig. 2 is a top view of the throat-plate and feed-dog of the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the feed-dog and its support; Fig. 4, a perspective view of one of the movable feed-dogs; Fig. 5, a perspective view of the throat-plate; 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2. Flg. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7-7,

showing two superposed fabric sections initially stitched by the usual overlockstitchmg and Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the fabric sections of Fig. 11 opened out flat and covered in accordance with the pres ent method.

The invention, as described herein, in connection with a convenient machine or mechanism for carrying it into effect, will be readily understood by referring to the draw ings, in which vthe numeral 1 designates the arm of the machine, 2 the cylinder-bed, 3 the needle-bar, 3, 3' the. needles carried thereby, 4: thelpresser-foot bar, 4', the presser-foot lifter, and 5 the power-shaft. The needles 3, 3, are adapted tocooperate as usual with the well known covering threadhandling element or looper 3*. These parts are all of well known, construction. As disclosed in my Patent No. 1,356,938, dated October 26, 1920, ofwhich this application is a division, the feed-dog of the machine may comprise a shank 6 secured to; the carrier, 7 by a screw passing through an elongated slot 8 in said shank to permit of proper ad justment on the carrier. The shank 6 is formed with a T-head 9 having a lengthwise undercut slot lOadapted to receive the feeddog sectionsand to hold them against longitudinal movement independently of the shank. The feeding surfaces comprise-the two outside or auxiliary feed-dog sections 11 and 12 each of which has an integral base 13, or abase made in a separate piece and secured to the feeding surface, corresponding, in section, to the undercut slot 10 and freely movabletherein lengthwise of the T- head, or laterally of the center line of the cylinder. The-outer sections 11 and 1 2 are set at an angle to their bases so as to diverge outwardly in the direction ofthe line of stitching, that is, they diverge outwardly from the operator, the angle ofdivergence of said sections corresponding to the open-. ings 16 and 17 in the throat-plate. The degree of divergence of thefeed surfaces 11' and 12, relatively to their bases, may be greater or less. than that shown in the drawings, according to the character of the work; as for example witha ribbed fabric sewed greater than when" stitching flat knitted fabrics As seen more particularly in Fig.-

2, the teeth of'the sections 11 and12 are cut at right angles to the side walls of the sections and certain ofsaid teeth of each sec tion aredisposed in advance of the needles and are thus adapted to act upon and stretch the fabric before it reachesthe needles.

Between the end sections 11 and 12 is a main feed dog section '14; shown as having two feeding surfaces although it may be made with'a single feed surface, the teeth on said section or sections being at right angles to the base which is similar to the base 13, shown in Fig.4. The feeding surfaces of the main feed-dog section 14 are disposed inrear of the stitch-forming mechanism and symmetrically with respect to the center line of the throat-plate. I

The throat-plate l5,'as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, is outwith feed-way slots 16 and 17 extending from a point in front of. the needle-holes l5 and diverging outwardly in a direction away from the operator. These slots are adapted to receive the long armlikesections 11 and 12 of the feed-dog during their rising and feeding movements. The tln oatplate has also a slot or slots 18 to receive the intermediate feeding surfaces 14 The carrier 7 is connected through feedlever 19 to a bellcrank20 which latter receives its motion from an eccentric on the main-shaft 5 to give to 'the' feed-dog its stitch-length movement. An eccentric 21 on the forward end of shaft 5 gives the feedlift movement.

In carrying the present method into effect the two fabric'sections a b are first joined out until the major portions thereof lie sub-- stantially in the same plane, as shown in Fig. 7. A strain is next exertedupon the fabric SGGtlOIlSlill opposite directions away from and transversely of the line of initially formed stitches (Z. or e and the connected parallel lines of stitches f are applied while the fabric sections are held stretched and fiattened,.as.shown in Fig. 8. V 1

In utilizing a machine such as above described-for carrying the invention into effect, the previously stitched work, afterhaving. been. opened out, may be guided to the covering stitch-forming mechanism by means of theusual guide-fin 22. on the presser-foo-t 23 secured to the presser-bar 4.. The guide-fin 22 coeperates in a well known manner with the fabric rib guideway or "slot 24: formed in thethroat-p'late 15 and actsto guide the initially stitched seam centrally between the needles at 3, 8. The feedof the machine is timed as usual, that is, the feed-dog rises as the needles rise and moves lengthwise of the stitching when the needles are out of the work, the direction being indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 2. Asthe needles rise, the feed-dog rises in its advance position with the. forward ends of sections 11 and 12 in a plane in front of the needles and with certain of the feeding teeth of-each auxiliary section in advance of the stitch-forming mechanism; a. 6., in advance of a transverse line through the stitching point. lVhen the needles are out of the work, the feed-dog. is moved lengthwise of the stitching and as the sections 11 and 12 are so moved they are also moved laterally .by reason of the divergent feedway slots 16 and 17 in the throat-plate. Such lateral movement of sections 11 and 1.2 will stretch or take the fullnessout of the work, thereby flattening'the work, in which stretched and flattened condition it is held by the presser-foot when the nextsuciceeding stitch is being made. This stretching action does not extend much beyond the needle-holes for the reason that the seam' and covering stitches are supported upon and fedby the center or main section 1% of the feed-dog. 1

Itwill be understoodthat the above disclosed process of forming a coveringseam may be modified without departure from the spirit of the invention which consists primarily in covering the initially stitched and opened-out fabric sections, while the sections are-under a transverse strain; It is essential, however, that the covering seam shall consist ofv parallel lines of stitching disposed on opposite sides oflthe stitching uniting the edges and that said parallel lines of stitching shall be connected at least on one side of the fabric. In the present instance the looper-thread' constitutes the connecting means.

While I have disclosed my improved process as applied, particularly, to the forming of a fiat seam in connection with joining the edges of light elastic materials, it is apparent that it may be applied to various other fiexiblesheet materials. 7 vHaving thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is V l. The process of joining fabric sections consisting in uniting the superposed edges of the fabric sections by stitching, opening the sections of fabric until the major portions lie in substantially the same plane, exerting a. strain on the respective fabric sections in opposite directions aWay from and transversely of the line of stitching, and uniting said fabric sections While under said strain by connected parallel lines of stitches disposed respectively on opposite sides of the first line of stitching.

2. The process of joining fabric sections consisting in uniting the superposed edges of fabric sections by a line of through-a11dthrough stitching, opening the sections of fabric until the major portions lie in sub stantially the same plane, exerting a strain on the respective fabric sections in opposite directions away from and transversely of the line of stitching and passing parallel lines of stitching of a covering seam through the respective sections on opposite sides of the first line of stitching While the fabric sections are under strain.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 

